Brooklin, Ontario, Canada
Perkins + Will
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
A remnant forest in the historic village of Brooklin, Ontario provides the setting and inspiration for this district Library and
Community Centre. Each of the key program areas (library, community centre and gymnasium) are housed in one of three linked structures whose rooflines and simple forms recall the region’s agrarian roots. A sophisticated approach
to structural articulation, detailing and materiality transforms a regional inspiration into a sharply articulated response to the design issues of the 21st century. Porches, breezeways and glazed links provide the common space and allow the three shed volumes to frame courtyards and views into the surrounding
hardwood forest. The programs are accommodated under graceful steel and timber roofs with mezzanines and interconnected floor spaces allowing visual and spatial interaction between them.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
The preservation of specimen
hardwoods, the native topography and watershed were critical to the placement of the building footprint. The careful control of run-off and
overland flow protects the watershed of Lind Creek at the north end of the site and ensures the proper irrigation and of the surrounding woodshed. Parking lot run off is filtered through bio retention swales and roof water is captured for
grey water conveyance.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
The strategy of articulating the program as a series of discrete elements allows the building to bridge between the fine grained urban fabric of the village and its wooded site. The planimetric arrangement maximizes the enjoyment of the naturalized setting and the penetration of daylight into the building’s program spaces. As a legacy to the Village of Brooklin, the projects sets an example for a considered approach to building siting and form that is highly responsive to the natural and built heritage of the area. The resulting design achieves an intimacy of scale and a variety of spatial experiences rarely achieved in a multi-use facility of its size.
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| Photo © Courtesy of Lisa Logan Architectural Photography |
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| ground floor plan--drawing Courtesy of Perkins + Will |
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| second floor plan--drawing Courtesy of Perkins + Will |
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| north & east elevations--drawing Courtesy of Perkins + Will |
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| south & west elevations--drawing Courtesy of Perkins + Will |
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| section--drawing Courtesy of Perkins + Will |
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| section--drawing Courtesy of Perkins + Will |
The people
Architects: Perkins + Will
Location: Brooklin, Ontario, Canada
Project area: 57,000 sq. ft.
Project year: 2010
Photographs: Lisa Logan Architectural Photography
